


Of Potions, Herbs and Mistakes

by StrawberryLix



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Felix is a sweetheart, Fluff, Kim Seungmin is Whipped, M/M, Potions, Shop Owner Lee Felix, Talking Animals, Witch Kim Seungmin, Witches, and is being an idiot bc of it, idk how to explain, it's just some kind of alternate reality that combines both old-fashioned and modern traits, this isn't really set in modern times but also not in the past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 19:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18597559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryLix/pseuds/StrawberryLix
Summary: With the hope of becoming a professional potion brewer like his older sister, Kim Seungmin finally leaves his hometown to study at a specialized potion school far away. Full of excitement in the new town, he finds a little herb shop that seems to be just perfect for the ingredients he needs for all his potions. What he doesn't take into account, though, is that this particular little shop is run by a certain boy that steals Seungmin's heart quicker than any well-mixed potion could.And so, mistakes can and will be made.





	Of Potions, Herbs and Mistakes

**Author's Note:**

> *turns up with a new work while being in the middle of another multi-chaptered fic that hasn't had an update in a while* 
> 
> this is fine.

“Stop being a coward” she says. 

“Just finally ask him out!” she says.

But things aren't that easy. Things are never easy at all for Seungmin, except for when it comes to cooking potions for his potion studies at school. Since he was a child, Seungmin always loved to mix things to see what he could create out of them. His older sister always had to scold him for using her pot and ingredients when he wanted to act out his grand ideas. 

The witch-life comes with big responsibilities, and if there is another thing that Seungmin is really good at, except for making potions, it's keeping his things organized and clean: an important trait when one wants to major in potion studies.

What he definitely isn't good at, though, is confronting people he has a crush on. When he has a crush on someone, he would observe them, never being too close, absolutely never approaching them, and definitely never talking to them first. He rather admires them from afar when they aren't looking, always daydreaming about scenarios in his head he knows he doesn't have the guts to ever carry out in reality. He has always been a shy person and this shyness just grows exponentially whenever he's in the presence of someone he actually likes.

Seungmin has had countless of crushes in his lifetime, and they all passed by like that. Back then his sister always nagged at him to finally do something about them, and now that he has moved out into his little student apartment, it's his assigned companion-owl that doesn't leave him alone. 

“Stop being a coward” she would say to Seungmin every time until the boy hushes her silent.

“I'm not a coward!” Seungmin would snap back then, getting all pouty while crossing his arms in front of his chest defensively, because he knows that she's right but he doesn't want to admit it.

Mixing potions at home is his favorite pastime. For his studies, his sister gave him her beloved brewing pot when he moved out, as a keepsake of her. 

In the new town there were lots of new things to discover. It made him especially happy to find out that there is a little shop for herbs located close to his home; those are just perfect ingredients for potions.

He walked into this shop confidently one day, already excited to rummage through the range of goods, when his breath suddenly got stuck in his chest and he couldn't breathe for a moment as he looked into a pair of warm hazelnut brown eyes that shined as bright as the rest of their owner. 

“Welcome!” the boy said, giving Seungmin the brightest smile he had ever seen and Seungmin felt his heart do a flip.

That was then. And now, Seungmin just keeps coming back to the shop frequently to see Felix, the shop owner he has the biggest crush on, under the disguise of buying items from the shop.

Today is another one of these days. Seungmin fixes the deep black witch hat he's wearing and adjusts it to the right position. He puts on his equally black cloak and watches himself in the mirror. Should he take off his glasses? 

“If you take them off, you'll be lucky if you don't knock down every single jar from its shelf in that shop” his owl interrupts his train of thought, as if she had read his mind.

Seungmin scowls and keeps them on. The big round glasses could be considered adorable on a face like his, yet Seungmin wishes they were anything but there.

“What if he thinks they're ugly?”

His owl flaps her majestic white wings before settling down on his shoulder and looking into the mirror with him. “Well then you can't help it.”

Seungmin sighs with a frown and tries to get the winged animal off his shoulder in his despair. 

“I'm just kidding, they're fine” she immediately intervenes before she can get shooed away.

 

Equipped with his little magical pouch around his hip, Seungmin decides he's ready for today's visit to his beloved store. Not only the shop owner stole his heart, but also the herbs that he sells. Felix seems to be making quite a good business if he can offer such rare and high quality goods without further ado, which is a surprise considering that the shop in itself is really manageable-sized and looks more like a small family business. Since the other boy isn't much older than Seungmin himself, Seungmin figures he must have taken over the shop from his parents not long ago.

Approaching the old and wooden corner shop with frequently more nervous-getting steps along the dusty path, Seungmin finally pushes open the door with care and hears the familiar bell ring above him. The shop is empty but as organized as ever, with rows and rows of herb jars stacked next to each other on the various wooden shelves, all colorful. It isn't long until he hears footsteps quickly tripping down a set of stairs, before an already well acquainted face of an orange haired boy with freckles comes into vision behind the counter. 

“Ah, welcome! Good to see you again!” Felix beams at him and Seungmin just nods before he escapes to look at one of the shelves like that's the only reason he came here. Felix takes a seat on the counter now, with his back resting against the wall and his legs propped up, like he always does when he's waiting for his customers to make a decision. He doesn't seem to mind Seungmin's lack of a greeting and just fumbles with an old and heavy book he drew out from under the counter to read something in it. Today he's wearing a pair of denim box shorts, a light-colored cropped t-shirt and some worn out laced up sneakers. He doesn't look like a shop owner at all; more like a youthful boy you'd find down by the park to enjoy the nice weather. He seems so out of place here in this medicinal herb filled corner store, like he's been made to watch the shop until his parents are back. But Seungmin knows for sure that there's never anyone else keeping the shop other than Felix. It's his. And he knows an enormous amount about the items he's selling.

The turning of pages and clicking of jars are the only sounds ringing through the shop for quite a while, as Seungmin keeps on uselessly searching through the shelves and Felix reading his book, while shooting a glance over to Seungmin every now and then to make sure he was managing all right. But how can he manage all right if he doesn't even have anything he wants to buy? 

“Are you looking for anything specific?” 

The voice is suddenly right next to him, and Seungmin has to make sure he doesn't accidentally knock over a jar of thyme right then and there out of shock. Felix is looking at him with his warm hazelnut eyes that are the same color as the freckles on his cheeks, having abandoned the old herb book on the counter and giving Seungmin all of his glowing attention. Oh dear.

“Um- I.. well, I was looking for something for a teleportation potion?” 

What the hell is he doing.

Felix looks a little bit troubled at that. “A teleportation potion? That's a tough one, hold on.”  
He fetches his book from the counter and skims through the pages, before he halts on a certain page and analyzes it more closely with knit eyebrows. Seungmin really is the biggest idiot out there. No one asks for herbs for a damn _teleportation_ potion. 

“Well,” Felix starts after a while, “this is quite complicated. As a simple herb seller I'm not sure if I can just sell you the necessary herbs for a potion like that. Do you have a permit?”

Of course he doesn't have one. Seungmin shakes his head.

Felix is trying to find a solution for this, Seungmin can see it in his expression. 

“Well, I do have dried rose petals in stock, but no jade cinnamon. And ruby clove is really hard to get your hands on...” Felix considered. “I could try to order some, but only for an extra fee, you see? Also I'd still need a permit from you for selling you these items. A teleportation potion isn't something to joke about you know?”

Seungmin knows. Everyone knows. And yet he's been stupid enough to bring it up in the heat of the moment. That's exactly why he usually doesn't talk to his crushes. Because it only creates trouble on his own account.

“But... there might be a way to handle this. As every herb shop owner, I'm experienced in brewing potions, too. I might not be on the same level as my father, but good enough to be permitted to brew all kinds of potions in this book.” He gives the old herb book a little pat for emphasis. “And the teleportation potion happens to be in here.”

Seungmin doesn't like where this is going because he thinks he knows what Felix might be hinting at here, but he keeps his mouth shut, primarily for the reason that he can't seem to open it even if he wants to. 

“I could brew the potion for you, if you can come over and give me all the details as to where the potion is supposed to take you and for how long. Of course you'll need to be present the entire time while I'm making it, since it is for you and needs to be adjusted to your body and health.” Felix seems confident in the suggestion he's just made. “So how about it? That's the only thing I can offer you.”

“Okay” Seungmin blurts out when this was the one moment in his life where he should've shut up, or at least declined politely. But no. He said 'okay' like the absolute fool he is. Maybe some day he would realize that his brain is there for thinking.

“Neat!” Felix clasps his hands together and rushes behind the counter to note something down into a little book. “... and done! I'm sending an order of jade cinnamon and ruby clove out right now, it should arrive in about three days. Just come by and we'll get started. Usually I don't do these extra services for customers, but you've shopped so often here already that I'm considering this some kind of regular customer favor.” He ends the sentence with a little wink and Seungmin thinks he's about to lose it.

“All right, I'll see you then!” Felix says, before he vanishes into the room behind the counter and up the stairs again.

With an open mouth Seungmin stares at the now again empty counter, without being able to bring out anything. Did that just happen or did he accidentally drink one of his illusion potions again? Moreover, what has he just gotten himself into? A teleportation potion? His sister always warned him to not joke around with those kinds of potions, and here he is, about to have his crush brew one for him because apparently Seungmin doesn't know what handling social interactions means.

The more time passes the clearer his head becomes again and he realizes just about what he's just done. Not only has he disregarded his sister's advice for him, but he has also managed to get himself a bill for insanely expensive herbs he doesn't even want, and most importantly: he's earned himself an entire day of interaction with the one person he can't even properly talk to without nearly combusting.

Just like Felix would say, neat. 

Yeah, neat indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> since this little story will only have two chapters, the second chapter will be quite longer than this one. and since this fic isn't my priority right now, who knows when i'll have it done. but i shared this first chapter anyway because i dump out everything i get done at this point.


End file.
